Take A Walk In The Vineyard With Us
Passing through scenic Sleepy Hollow in late winter and early spring, you’ll notice the vines are dormant, but plant life is abundant. Cover crops are sown among the rows to attract beneficial insects, increase biodiversity, and furnish supplemental nutrients. When the grapevines awake from dormancy and it’s time to mow, you might see a herd of our neighbors’ cows grazing. They provide extra hands (hooves) for natural mowing and reduce the number of passes needed from mechanized vehicles, which helps reduce soil compaction.
You’ll also notice micro-drip irrigation, precisely delivering the correct amount of water during the growing season. The water used in the winery to wash tanks or hose down floors, called process water, is captured and reused to irrigate the vineyard, resulting in an industry-leading, water-use-to-wine-produced ratio of 2:1. Conservation is vital to us both in the vineyard and at the winery where 70% of our energy is solar powered.
If you look up, graceful hawks are circling and diving as they naturally reduce the rodent population and, as the fruit reaches maturity, help us keep the grape-loving starlings at bay. We can’t always rely on enough passing hawks when we need them most, but their natural deterrence inspires us. We have invested in solar-powered, automated lasers whose harmless green beams mimic the flight pattern of hawks, keeping the hungry starlings on the move. The lasers are an environmentally friendly method that helps us avoid using plastic netting to protect the grapes, creating less waste and less danger to wildlife.
But you may miss something just as powerful if you aren’t looking down. A phenomenon is happening both on the surface and deep within the soil. Our composting measures involve reincorporating winery and vineyard materials that are folded back into the soil to rejuvenate and nourish this precious resource that feeds our vines.